The role and place of the constitutional acts of the Ukrainian Central Rada in the history of Ukrainian state formation

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the state- building activities of the Ukrainian Central Rada, which was embodied in constitutional documents.The key place of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1917-1918) in the general historical process of Ukrainian state formation is substantiated.The content of the acts of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, which in its short time of existence went from the birth of the national state apparatus to the development and adoption of its own Constitution, was considered and analyzed.The central place among the acts of the UCR is occupied by the four Universals proclaimed by it.Using the methods of systematic and comparative analysis of the texts of these documents, it was possible to: 1) trace the evolution of the national identification of the Ukrainian state: from autonomy to independence; 2) the mechanisms of the formation of the state-authority apparatus and the formation of the democratic foundations of the division of power into branches are analyzed; 3) the norm-making potential of the Ukrainian Central Committee was analyzed. A general review of the rule-making activity of the Ukrainian Central Rada regarding the establishment of norms of a constitutional nature makes it possible to understand that the political and legal idea was aimed at the formation of a democratic republican state system.The positive aspects of the state-building experience of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1917-1918) were: defense of national interests, democratic development of state institutions, recognition and consolidation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, and their social direction. The policy miscalculations carried out by the Ukrainian Central Council include: maintaining stable ties and hoping for democratic development alongside Russia; chaotic decisions, which is connected, on the one hand, with the lack of experience, and on the other - with the pressure of the russian authorities.